This reminds me of how my father visited us from overseas. My father spoke no English, no Mandarin and travelled alone with us carrier, not oriental airlines. I figured my father would not understand any of the commonly-spoken languages anyway, it would not make any difference which airline he took, so I might as well book with more customer-oriented us carrier. I prepared a set of 5 or 6 index cards in English of what he might need to show for help along the way and with numbers and pictures so that he would know which one to handout. My father was able to visit us from overseas via LAX to Philadelphia. Never asked him how he managed all transfers or immigration.

The only thing I remembered was when we did the check-in for his return trip. I was not a 1K then, after I helped him check-in at the counter and explained all the things and cards with the agent about his communication barriers, the agent smiled at the pictured cards I prepared and simply asked if I could go with him to the gate and boarding. My father went back home safely and uneventfully from Philadelphia, Chicago and LAX. This experience made my day and became loyal to us carrier.